


keep me falling like this

by helsinkibaby



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Community: 1-million-words, F/M, Het, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-20
Updated: 2015-10-20
Packaged: 2018-04-27 08:21:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5041060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/helsinkibaby/pseuds/helsinkibaby
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This isn't the night John planned for himself.</p>
            </blockquote>





	keep me falling like this

**Author's Note:**

> For the October Songfic challenge Day 1 - "Sure Be Cool If You Did"

This was not the night that John had planned for himself. After his first day babysitting Oliver Queen, all he'd wanted to do was chill out someplace quiet, with a beer, maybe two. Squeezing himself into one of Starling City's busiest meat markets - where, he had a feeling, he was going to be spending a lot of time thanks to his new client - was far, far down his list of priorities. 

Not so for his ex-army buddy Matt, in town for a few days without his wife, without his kids, eager to spend a little time living the single life. He'd rounded up as many of his Starling City friends as he could manage, John included, and convinced them all to come here tonight and John had gone along with it, figuring that it couldn't be as bad as he thought it would be. 

He'd been right. 

It was worse. 

Until, that is, he saw her.

All blonde hair and blue eyes and short skirt, she nonetheless had the look of a woman who didn't want to be where she was. It was, John knew, the look he probably had on his face too, which was why he recognised it on her. A couple of glances later, he'd worked out that she looked distinctly uncomfortable, as evidenced by the way she kept tugging at the hem of her very short skirt, trying to pull it down lower. One of the women who was with her laughed and slapped at her hand and she smiled self consciously, before standing up and making her way to the bar.

Before he was aware of what he was doing, John was following her. 

Bizarrely for a woman who looked like she did, she was having very little luck getting the bartender's attention. John, a full head taller, had no such issues, waved his hand and when the bartender approached, he ordered a beer for himself and, "Whatever the lady is having."

"Oh you don't have to..." Her cheeks flushed as pink as her drink and John lifted one eyebrow. She looked down and smiled, shook her head. "Strawberry daiquiri. Please." The bartender moved off and she turned her full attention to John. "Thank you."

"It's the least I could do for someone who looked like they were enjoying themselves as much as I am."

Her eyes narrowed, like she wasn't sure if he was joking or not, but then she smiled again, wrinkled her nose at the same time, a combination John found adorable. "Is it that obvious?"

"I'm going to go with yes." His beer arrived first and he raised it to his lips. 

"Work colleague's birthday party," she said, shaking her head. "It seemed easier than lying." She pursed her lips. "I should have lied.  Except I'm really bad at it. Lying, I mean. Not that I'm any better at..." She waved her hand around, almost sent her drink flying. Her cheeks grew darker. "As you see."

"I don't know." John let his eyes flick up and down her body, lightly enough so as not to be creepy (he hoped) but serious enough to communicate interest. "You look like you're doing ok."

Her cheeks darkened from pink all the way to scarlet and she glanced over her shoulder in the direction she'd come. Whatever she saw there had her taking a step closer to him. "So why are you here if you're not enjoying yourself?"

"Friend from out of town, wanting to see the sights." Another hit of his beer did nothing to improve his mood. The fact that she leaned in toward him as he spoke was a plus though, even if was only so she could hear what he said. "Seemed like a good idea at the time." 

"Ah." A smile played around her lips, one that widened as she accepted her fresh drink from the bartender, raised it to her lips. "There's a lot of that going around."

He took another sip of his own beer, glanced over her shoulder towards her friends who were staring at them with unabashed interest. "You know we've got an audience?"

"I figured." Her eyes danced as they travelled up and down his body, lingering, he couldn't help but notice, for far longer than his had over hers. "I don't usually do this... the whole get bought a drink and stay and talk thing, I mean. I usually run and hide. And I need to stop talking. Like now."

John put down his beer, ran his now free hand down her arm. Goosebumps erupted on her skin and he didn't think it was just because his hand was cold. "Or you could keep talking," he suggested. "You haven't even told me your name."

"Felicity." She sounded a little breathless. 

"John." He slid his hand down, entwining his fingers with hers. "It's nice to meet you, Felicity."

"It's nice to be met." The words made him smile, made her wince but when he leaned in, pressed his lips to hers quickly, she didn't seem to object. "Very nice," she said and she screwed up her lips again, tilting her head to the side. "Forget I-"

He stifled a laugh, leaned in and kissed her again. "How about we dance instead?"

Felicity wrinkled her nose. "I'm actually worse at dancing, I'm like, unbelievably clumsy..."

Taking the glass from her hand, he slid an arm around her waist. "Don't worry... I won't let you fall."

"You never do." The second the words were out, she slammed her eyes shut, twisted her head. "Which is not what I would say if you really were picking me up the first night we met. I suck at this."

He didn't even try to stifle the laugh this time. "I'm surprised we made it this far," he said and she gave him that bashful smile that had made him fall all those months ago, the one that had him falling all over again. 

"But since we are breaking role..." Her fingers play with the buttons of his shirt and she looks up at him through her lashes. Which is a pretty good way of getting him to do anything, and he knows she knows that too. "Can we get out of here? Friends and workmates aside, I really want to get out of this dress." 

John raised an eyebrow, waited for the realisation of what she'd said to land on her face. When it did, he leaned in close to kiss her again. "Why, Miss Smoak... I like the way you think."


End file.
